US law professor voices concern over sacking of journalists for criticizing Israel

By Zahir Sofuoglu

A professor of law at the University of Chicago has expressed concern over the firing of several writers and editors for their views opposing Israeli policy, saying the rules are changing before our eyes.

“It feels like a new McCarthyism. We’ll see what happens, but the Anti-Defamation League writing letters to college presidents suggesting they look into student activists for engaging in the support of terrorism, the number of official or quasi-official letters expressing concern about speech and then the firings — it just all feels like a repression of speech that we haven’t seen for a while,” Genevieve Lakier told the US-based Politico news website.

Recently, many editors and writers in the US who expressed opinions against Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip were dismissed.

Several university students who said Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza have also had their job offers withdrawn.

Palestine Legal, a US-based advocacy organization to which Lakier belongs, said they have responded to more than 260 cases of people’s “livelihoods or careers” being targeted due to their anti-Israel views.

Lakier expressed her deep concern over the pressures on freedom of expression in the country.

“Universities have been under threat for a long time. We have seen there are laws imposing sanctions on those who engage in boycott campaigns against Israel, some of which have been struck down, some of which have not,” she said.

The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks against the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise offensive on Oct. 7.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip has risen to 9,770, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave announced Sunday.

“The death toll as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 is 9,770, including 4,800 children and 2,550 women,” the ministry said in a statement.

Around 1,540 Israelis have been killed.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi